Rural economic diversification in sub-Saharan Africa
This working paper by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) discusses emerging policy implications for economic diversification in rural sub-Saharan Africa. According to the author, while continuing to prioritize rural investments in the economic and social sectors, governments should mainstream rural development within national strategies and commit to the long term. Rural and urban development policies should be brought together, ideally within a territorial or regional development framework, to strengthen the market and service linkages between rural and urban areas. Given the prevailing rural employment environment, new and critical attention must be given to the informal household enterprise sector and to re-enforcing the agriculture and food sectors. The evidence base to inform rural development policies needs to be further strengthened and made more accessible.